Holding Pattern
by ncisabbylover
Summary: A Post-Ep/Pre-Ep for 6x23/6x24. This fic is gratuitous Densi fluff as they make their way to Russia.


The cab ride back to the Office of Special Projects was mostly silent. Kensi was pissed about her car that was currently being towed to the repair shop and both their minds still focused on the case which they couldn't talk about with eavesdropping ears in the front seat. The taxi pulled up and Deeks tipped the driver as Kensi climbed out of the car and began the walk to OSP, making Deeks jog to catch up with her.

"Hey, hold up a sec." He caught her elbow, making her stop in her tracks and face him. "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Little bruised, a bit of hearing loss. I'm good." She joked.

"Kens." His other hand reached out so he was holding both her arms.

"I promise. I'm okay. Are you okay?" She asked.

"I will be in a moment." And then he leaned down and kissed her soundly. Her hands came up to fist in his shirt while his fingers migrated from her arms, dancing down her waist, before settling in the back pockets of her jeans. He pulled back and leaned his forehead against hers. "Sorry, I know we're on the clock but I just…"

"The law says we get 2 fifteen minute breaks a day." She smiled up at him suggestively, rising up to press another passionate kiss to his lips.

"So we do." He grinned. He was leaning down for yet another kiss when she flattened her palms against his chest, holding him back.

"But, I suggest we use the last few minutes to get back to OSP before Hetty sends out a search party, or worse, has Nell scan security footage." She began walking again.

Deeks groaned and quickly moved to fall in step with his partner.

"Fine. But since we're still technically on our break…" He stepped closer to her again, wrapping his arm around her back, resting his hand back over her ass through her jeans.

Kensi sighed, trying to seem put out by his overt public display of affection as they walked but she couldn't quite hide her grin. A few feet later she gave in, wrapping her arm around her boyfriend and leaning further into his side, but not before grabbing his hand and moving it to settle in the slightly more appropriate location of her hip.

They were just outside the OSP doors when he stopped her one last time.

"You sure you're good?"

This time she wasn't faking her exasperation.

"Yes. But if it'll make you feel better, you can give me a massage when we get home." She dropped her arm from around him and stepped out of his embrace.

She winked at him before pushing the door open, rubbing at her neck for emphasis. His hand came up to her shoulder in a gentle squeeze before dropping again as they both got back to work.

* * *

Not five hours later Kensi and Deeks were on a plan bound for Russia, Sam and Callen seated across the aisle two rows behind them. As the plane evened out and the seat belt sign flickered off Deeks closed the window blind and turned to Kensi.

"How do you think Callen's holding up?"

Kensi shrugged and glanced back to the man in question who was staring blankly out the aircraft's window.

"As well as can be expected I'd say. He's got all of us though. We've never let a member of this team fall too far down the rabbit hole. I'll be damned if we're going to start now."

Deeks nodded absently and picked at a ball of lint on his jeans.

"We'd do the same for you, you know. You guys all had my back with my father's case. If anything comes of the Internal Affairs investigation we're going to have your back too. All of us."

The assertion earned her a soft and grateful smile from her partner.

"Thanks." He replied.

"Okay, now that that's out of the way I'm going to sleep." She was already lifting the armrest and winding her arm through his. "It's a twelve hour flight and Callen's going to want to hit the ground running." She hugged his arm to her chest and rested her head on his shoulder.

Deeks' first reaction was to glance back at the rest of their team. Sam had headphones in and his eyes were closed while Callen was now pouring over the file in his lap. Kensi squeezed his arm.

"Technically we're off the clock." She mumbled, eyes closed.

His arm shifted slightly in her embrace and then she felt his hand splay possessively over her thigh, fingers dangerously high.

"Still in public though." She remind him. He kneaded her leg playfully.

"Sleep." He murmured, gently kissing her temple and resting his head against hers.

"Mmmkay."

* * *

Kensi woke three hours later as slight turbulence shook the plane. Untangling herself from her sleeping companion she moved to stand but Deeks' hand on her leg tightened.

"Going to the bathroom. I'll be back." She told him, rubbing the back of his neck to soothe him. He released her and leaned against the window, never opening his eyes as Kensi made her way down the aisle.

She stretched as she walked. Her muscles were stiff and sore from the car crash the previous day and with their last minute impromptu trip to Russia Deeks hadn't the chance to make good on his massage promise.

She finished her business quickly and flushed before looking at herself in the scratched mirror. Her hair was mussed from sleep and by the end of this jaunt she was sure the bags under her eyes would exceed the carry-on luggage limit for the flight home. She lifted her shirt and, as she expected, her side was mottled with purple bruises from the impact of the earlier crash. She probed them gingerly and winced. With one final glance at her reflection she pulled her shirt down and returned to her seat.

Deeks was awake now and rifling through his carry on that sat at his feet.

"Whatcha looking for?" Kensi asked as she sat beside him, the plane jostling as she did so and making her bump her bruises on the seat back.

"These." He sat back up with a bottle of pain killers in one hand and a bag of M&M's in the other. Kensi smiled broadly.

"I knew there was a reason I kept you around." She reached for the candy but Deeks pulled it away, pushing the bottle of pills into her outstretched hand instead.

Kensi's smile fell slightly but she dutifully took the bottle, opening it and pouring two into her hand. She threw them back, swallowing without water.

"Now gimme." She threw the bottle into his lap and reached across him for the chocolate. He chuckled and gave them to her, stealing them back after she'd ripped the packet open and poured some into her hand.

"How's the bruising?"

"It's there." She shrugged, playing it off. Honestly, it wasn't even close to the worst she'd experienced in her years on the street, let alone as an agent.

"Will you let me look?" He queried.

"After we land?" She tried to compromise. He nodded. "We should get more sleep."

"You're probably right."

"Don't forget it." She grinned cheekily and was rewarded with a kiss. "Here." She shifted away from him and patted her lap.

"It's a bit too early in the year to be playing Santa don't you think Kens?" He cracked.

"Just lay down." She retorted. He hated sleeping upright and she knew it.

Deeks complied, shifting around in the narrow plane seats until he was comfortably laying with his head on her thighs and her hand in his hair. Kensi shuffled against the seat and closed her own eyes.

* * *

The next time Kensi woke it was to Sam shaking her arm. She blinked her eyes and tightened the fingers wrapped in Deeks' hair, eliciting a low moan from the detective. He didn't wake though, instead he burrowed his face further into her legs and let out a low rumble of a snore.

"He's not even quiet when he's asleep. I still don't know what you see in him." Sam ribbed good-naturedly.

"What time is it?" Kensi asked instead of rising to the bait. She started to card her fingers through her partner's hair though, a defiant look in her eye challenging Sam to comment on it.

"We're landing in just under an hour. It'll be 1pm local time and G want's to get straight to it."

Kensi glanced back at Callen.

"He good?"

"He's good." Sam asserted. "You gonna wake him up?" Sam nodded at Deeks.

"Just giving you time to get back to your seat. He gets pretty cuddly first thing in the morning." She smirked as the SEAL screwed up his face. He retreated back to his seat muttering something about 'too much information' and 'getting a room'.

Kensi ran her hand over her boyfriend's face and neck. She felt the shift in his body as soon as he woke but he continued to feign sleep. She knew the game he was playing but she had no plans to play into it. She moved one hand over his mouth while the other quickly plugged his nose. In a matter of seconds he was upright, gasping.

"That was uncalled for." He grumbled sleepily. It was kind of adorable.

"Aw, poor baby. We're landing soon." Her eyes twinkled with laughter, far too pleased with herself.

True to Kensi's early assessment Deeks shifted his body closer to hers and pressed his nose into her neck. As he spoke the breath hitting her skin made her squirm.

"Good morning." He hummed sweetly.

"Good afternoon actually." She corrected, turning her head so she could kiss him. "Soon as the wheels hit the tarmac we're back on the clock."

"Better get in a few more while I can then." He grinned cheekily and pulled her in for another, deeper kiss.

All too soon the seat belt light lit up and the pair pulled away from each other, both taking a minute to put their 'agent' faces back on as they landed.

* * *

It was almost 36 hours later when Kensi and Deeks finally made it back to the hotel room. Their flight back home left in just over thirteen hours and after the knife fights, gun fights, and over all high-adrenaline day they'd had, both partners were planing on using those hours to eat, sleep, shower and little else.

Kensi all but collapsed on one of the two double beds in the room as soon as she saw it. Deeks soon followed, falling down next to her.

"Nuh-uh. This is my bed. Yours is over there." She shoved at him, no force behind her action.

"You want this huge bed all to yourself? Surely you'll get lonely." Deeks rolled onto his side to face her while Kensi continued to lay with her face planted into the comforter.

"My bed." She replied, the words almost unintelligible.

"You don't want to share? I can make it worth your while."

That got her attention enough to roll and look at him.

"I'm too tired Deeks. And honestly I don't know how you're not."

"Wow. Mind in the gutter much? I was merely offering to make good on my massage promise but if that's you you feel I'll just go over there, to the other cold, empty bed." He started to roll off but Kensi's hand grabbed his arm.

"Maybe you can stay."

"Are you sure? I wouldn't want you to feel too crowded in this huge bed."

"Deeks." She all but whined, wriggling her shoulders.

A second later Deeks was sitting on her thighs, helping her push her shirt over her head and running his fingers up and down her bare back, pausing every now and then to lean down and press soft kisses to her skin.

* * *

 **A/N:** The first part of this was a drabble intended to be solely for Tumblr that I wrote directly after 6x23. But then an anon asked for me to write a massage fic. I'm sure this is not at all what they intended or thought I would come up with.


End file.
